Holland Family of Pittsburg County, OK

Article submitted by Lona Laughlin Boudreaux and transcribed here by K. Torp

..... From church records, it was apparent that McAlester was small during the 1870's and that South McAlester didn't even exist as a town until the railroads decided to come through the area in the late 1890's. Krebs was the large town at that time and remained much larger than North or South McAlester until the new century was well on its way.

One of McAlester's residents, Mrs. Charles Harkins, is a descendent from one of the earliest settlers in Krebs. The HOLLAND family came from England in 1875 and settled in Krebs. They had six daughters who all married and whose descendants are still living in this area.

The daughters were Christina, who became Mrs. Charles Hokey, Krebs; Emma, who became Mrs. Frank Curley, Haileyville; Elizabeth, who became Mrs. Louis Lorince, Krebs; Mary who became Mrs. Ray Varley, Krebs; her twin, Etta, who became Mrs. George Chaney Sr., Krebs; and Hanna, who became Mrs. William Tippitt, North McAlester.

Christina, who became Mrs. Charles Hokey, was Mrs. Harkin's grandmother, and the wife of the founder of Hokey's drug store, the first drug store in Indian Territory. The building is still in Krebs, but at the death of Mrs. Harkin's father, H.H. Hokey, the drug store was sold and is now called the Fountainette.

H.H. Hokey, the oldest son of the Charles Hokey family, finished college at the St. Louis College of Pharmacy. He married Alice Baxendale, who came from England with her family. They had three girls who grew up in Krebs. The girls were Marie Hokey Harkins, Teenie Hokey Keef and Katherine Hokey Kinkaid.